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"OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO..." RPTA SENIOR FINDS NO LIMITS

By Kim Saavedra (RPTA '13), Staff Writer

In 2009, Ben Turley made the decision to forgo the Spring quarter of his junior year at Cal Poly to accomplish his life long dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail from start to finish. Turley was first inspired to hike the “A.T.” at the youthful age of ten, by his father’s camp employee, who had also hiked the 2,178.3-mile long trail.

Ten years later, despite the complete disbelief of his family and friends, Turley turned his dream into a reality. According to Turley, he knew from the moment he took his first steps on Cal Poly’s campus for his first day of WOW, that his life decisions were now his own, and therefore, anything he set his mind to, he would accomplish. After his first year of classes as a civil engineering student, Turley switched majors to become part of the RPTA family after he simply decided, “I want[ed] to play!”

Yet, with a new-found love for school through the RPTA department, Turley had not forgotten his sincere desire to hike the Appalachian Trail. So, in April of 2009, Turley began his treacherous walk on the famous Appalachian Trail at its southernmost entrance in Georgia. While Turley did begin his hike alone, he quickly realized that there would be no lack of companionship, as he proceeded to meet, “some of the most brilliant and diverse groups of people” that he ever hoped to encounter. Unfortunately for Turley, that Spring and Summer later became referred to as the, “Year of the Rain,” and he was lucky to see two days of sun in a row. However, the incessant and torrential downpour of rain, wind, snow and hail failed to dampen his spirits. Four months later, Turley would become one of only ten percent of hikers who set out and manage to complete the entire trail from start to finish...2,178.3 miles from Georgia to Maine. Even through wet clothes from April to August, nerve-racking bear encounters, and scant amounts of food, Turley looks back on his adventurous hike as a complete success. For Turley, his decision to hike the Appalachian Trail was not made for class credit or recognition, it was simply a childhood dream, and nothing could prevent him from completing it.

Today, Turley finds himself finishing his last quarter at Cal Poly and will begin his 400-hour internship as a Wilderness Program Director for Kidder Creek Orchard Camps in Etna, CA. After graduation in June, Turley will continue his work with Kidder Camps until September when he will embark on new adventures and travel around the world to hike in countries such as England, Nepal, and eventually, New Zealand. However, despite his treacherous hikes and dangerous endeavors, Turley maintains that his greatest accomplishment has been finishing college. To all future and current RPTA students, Turley’s advice is, “Don’t be afraid to try new things and broaden your perspective.” With a minor in biology, Turley encourages all students to push boundaries, whether in the classroom or halfway around the world, and never believe that anything is impossible.

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